Philippines’ Aquino Appoints Past Senator to Helm Typhoon Rehab

MANILA—President Benigno Aquino III has named a former senator and national police chief to oversee the rehabilitation of areas ravaged by Typhoon Haiyan.

Reuters

Senator Panfilo Lacson during a news conference at the Senate headquarters in Pasay city, metro Manila, on March 28, 2011.

Panfilo Lacson, who also ran for president in 2004 against incumbent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and is a close ally of Mr. Aquino, does not have experience in disaster relief, but is generally seen non-corrupt.

It is unclear how much of a role Mr. Lacson will have in managing the 12 billion peso ($275 million) supplemental budget Congress has approved for rebuilding and reconstruction for the remainder of the year.

The scope of Mr. Lacson’s duties and powers will be spelled out in an executive order that will soon be issued by the office of the president, said Mr. Aquino’s spokesman Herminio Coloma.

However, Mr. Lacson already said he started consulting with urban planners and architects about rebuilding. He has also spoken to the Land Registration Administration to ensure land titles are properly redrafted and don’t fall into the hands of land grabbers.

The government’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, or NDRRMC, reported Monday that the typhoon has cost around $787 million in damage to infrastructure and agriculture.

It has also damaged 1.18 million houses and displaced 4.09 million people. A total of 11.24 million people in the country of 97 million have been affected, reported the NDRRMC.

A final tally of the damage and loss of life could still take a while to complete, said Eduardo del Rosario, the NDRRMC’s executive director. Based on the current data, however, United Nations’ agencies are already calling for more aid and monetary assistance, with many relief experts estimating that the rebuilding effort will take several years.

On Monday the latest death toll had reached 5,670, while 1,761 are recorded as missing.

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